Found this information:
Average heating oil prices in Massachusetts for the week of May 27
2008 average price: 4.59 (high: 4.95, low: 4.22)
2007: 2.51
2006: 2.58
2005: 1.91
2004: 1.54
2003: 1.31
2002: 1.16
2001: 1.31
I suppose they're talking about that in Massachusetts, but I haven't seen anything in the national press about it.
Update: I found this in the Boston Herald:
The gas and electric bill crunch is largely caused by the dismal economy, experts say, but oil presents a nightmare all its own.
“This is the first time that I have felt in years that people will die this winter because they can’t stay warm,” said Joe Kennedy, founder of the nonprofit Citizens Energy Corp. “This is by far the most grim and scary set of storm clouds on the horizon that I have seen in 30 years in trying to address the needs of the poor and elderly, in terms of their heating needs that are coming this winter.”
The skyrocketing cost of oil could saddle consumers with winter heating bills as high as $7,000, according to leading advocates. At the end of trading Friday, oil closed at $139.65 a barrel as a shocking new report from economists at CIBC World Markets predicted that gasoline would hit $7 a gallon by 2010.
The situation is expected to be dire in the Bay State, where about 40 percent of households heat their homes with oil, said Mark Wolfe, executive director of the National Energy Assistance Directors’ Association.
“We’ve gotten to the point where, a year ago, a family could sacrifice to pay their bills. Now it’s more than their monthly income,” said Wolfe, who estimates families will pay about $900 monthly for oil heat.
No comments:
Post a Comment